In the south end of Wailea, nestled between two resorts, is Wailea Point, a private community filled with manicured lawns, lush tropical gardens, and canopies of mature trees and palms. When construction began in the mid-1980’s the coastline of this property was rugged lava rock cliffs full of kiawe and other weeds. As part of the master plan of the Wailea resort community, an ocean side walkway connecting resorts, condominiums, beaches and public parking was to be maintained by each property.

It’s an exciting time on Maui. For the second time in almost a decade, the Maui Association of Landscape Professionals sponsored certification testing in Ornamental Maintenance. In the short span of the year, this program has proven successful. I continually receive comments on the program and am asked when the next sessions are to start. This program in ornamental maintenance serves a reminder of the basic safety training all employees need in the field. It is also becoming a more common requirement in contract negotiations and job descriptions as Maui employers, community associations and contractors become aware of the existence of Landscape Industry Certified Technicians.

In the daylight, colors, shapes and forms make a landscapes appearance enticing. Red foliage is easy to distinguish from that of yellow, and blue flowers stand out from green foliage. Shapes, textures, and various dimensions are easily recognizable. As day turns into night, the surrounding colors and shapes become shadows. This is when our eyesight may falter, but our nose and sense of smell prevails. Many flowers hide their fragrance in the heat of the day becoming most pungent from dusk to dawn, when nature reveals the sensation of its fragrance.

Podocarpus gracilior, the fern pine, is native to East Africa and grows in most climates in Hawaii with the exception of extreme elevations where the temperatures may drop below freezing. It thrives in full sun to part shade. If left alone, the tree will grow to 50 feet or more tall with a 25 to 30 foot spread. Be sure new plantings are well watered, but, once established, podocarpus is very drought tolerant. Do not allow it to sit in consistently wet soil as it will quickly show signs of over watering with wilting branches and leaf drop.

Review by Olin EricksonA few words of introduction cannot begin to describe the wealth of information found in this book. It begins with the amazing seafaring migrations of pacific islanders who brought banana varieties (mai’a in Hawaiian) with them. Over time the mai’a evolved into distinct Hawaiian varieties. There is an extensive discussion of the origins, habitat, propagation and uses of all distinct varieties complete with pictures plants legends and folklore. These Hawaiian Mai’a especially when cooked are known to be the tastiest bananas on earth. It is no wonder that Angela and Francis proclaim that their staple carbohydrate is the traditional Hawaiian bananas. They even provide the recipes they use for cooking and serving bananas.

All palms are classified into the scientific family Aracecea. Within that family of palms there are approximately 200 genera making up a total of over 2,600 different species or palm varieties. One type of genera consists of all the native Hawaiian palms, Pritchardia. There are approximately 29 species of Pritchardia palms endemic to Hawaii, known locally as Loulu palms. Every island has its own unique species that grows distinctly to its specific habitat. Maui has distinct species that are found only in certain areas on the island. Common Pritchardia’s of Maui include; P. arecina & P. forbesiana.

From the Summer 2007 MALP Newsletter By: Ernie Rezents ISA Certified Arborist, and ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist Last month Susi Mastroianni wrote “How to Plant a Tree“. This article will complement hers by discussing considerations you need to make when selecting a tree you want to plant. It is important to buy the right tree because trees are a big investment. There is the initial cost of buying the tree,…

From the Spring 2007 MALP Newsletter by Susi Mastroianni Certified Arborist — Like children, trees (and other plants) benefit from having the very best start we can give them. There are many points to consider when planting a tree if you wish to enjoy it for many years to come. Whether a fruit tree, shade tree, small ornamental or wind break, trees have many things in common. They need to be…

One of the most often planted citrus is the orange, Citrus sinensis. The most popular is the Washington navel orange. The origin of this fruit is Brazil. Apparently an orange tree mutated and bore fruit without seeds. Buds were grafted onto root stock plants and two were sent to Washington DC. From those two trees all Washington navel oranges were derived. Robertson navel orange is also an excellent fruit. Both of my matured trees are about 8 feet tall by 8 feet wide. They are heavy bearers of excellent fruit. Typically the fruit have a navel, or piko, on the distal end. Typically we peel and cut up the fruit into sections for morning fruit. You can also cut the fruit into sections to eat it right off the skin. Oranges also make good juice when squeezed, and provide lots of pulp.